Page 14 - Volo's Guide to Monsters

BEHOLDER LAIRS EYES IN THE SKY
Because a beholder's paranoia knows no limits, it often
The lair of a beholder is a reflection of the creature's
designs its lair to include secret passageways that are
mind-set- designed to anticipate, and thwart, any plan used for reconnaissance or surprise attacks. (These fea-
that would-be invaders might devise. Each of its cham- tures aren't shown on the accompanying map, but can
bers is isolated, accessible from only one or two other be located anywhere you see fit.) A typical arrangement
areas, giving the beholder control over the route that en- is a network of tunnels running above the main cham-
emies must take to reach the sanctum where the owner
bers of the lair, each wide enough for the beholder to fly
of the place lies in wait. through. Fist-sized holes in the floors of these tunnels
A beholder usually creates its lair in an area of natural open into the rooms below, allowing the beholder to spy
caves, shaping the chambers with its disintegration ray. on creatures in its lair and perhaps target them with eye
Most of the entryways and passages that it fashions to rays. (Opponents can shoot back, but the holes function
connect one chamber with another are too narrow to like arrow slits and provide three-quarters cover to the
admit creatures larger than itself (particularly in the beholder.)
innermost chambers). If any large openings between
adjacent caves exist naturally, the beholder constricts or MINION CHAMBERS
seals off such openings, either by employing slave labor The lair has rooms set aside for the beholder's minions,
or by collapsing the tunnel itself. where those creatures live, cook, eat, and sleep.
Regardless of its overall configuration, every behold-
er's lair is oriented to take full advantage of the crea- PRISON
ture's flight ability. Adjoining chambers are connected A beholder often sets aside a chamber to hold captives
by vertical or steeply sloped tunnels that the beholder that it chooses not to kill. The simplest kind of prison,
carves out of the surrounding stone, each passage easy enough for a beholder to create, typically consists
barely large enough to admit the beholder's body. Ene- of 20-foot-deep holes disintegrated into the floor, some-
mies that are too big to traverse these smooth-walled times covered with a wood or metal grating. A prisoner
tunnels will find it difficult to move deep into the lair is stripped of weapons and magic items, thrown into one
and virtually impossible to confront the beholder in of the holes, and guarded by minions at all times.
its sanctum.
Minions and other creatures under a beholder's con- SANCTUM
trol generally have their own living spaces in the lair. The beholder's private chamber is usually at the highest
Because a beholder's minions are typically not able to elevation inside the lair and accessible only through a
fly, many of these chambers are connected to others by long vertical tunnel. Here, the beholder rests and plots.
staircases or gently sloping ramps in addition to the tun- The room typically contains a nest of sand or cloth bed-
nels, so the beholder can easily move its minions around ding and the beholder's favorite pieces of sculpture.
as the need arises.
Common rooms found in a beholder's lair are de- VESTIBULE
scribed in the sections that follow. Beyond the lair entrance lies the vestibule. Rather than
being sculpted with tools or eye rays, the entrance and
CENTRAL GALLERY the vestibule are left in their natural form to mislead
The main living area that the beholder uses is filled intruders who might be expecting an artificially created
with objects that the creature enjoys looking at, such as structure. The floor of the vestibule is usually 15 feet or
art, statues, and its latest spoils of victory. The floor is more lower than the entrance corridor, and the chamber
uneven and difficult for intruders to navigate. Minions is often inhabited by shriekers, which act as an early
usually guard the entrances to this chamber. warning system.

ESCAPE TuNNELS TRAPS.
A lair has several escape tunnels, each closed off inside A room not dedicated to some other purpose could be
the lair by a large boulder or a mortared stone wall. festooned with a variety of traps. In addition to traps
Most of these routes are blocked on both ends, prevent- that are meant to catch ground-based creatures, a be-
ing creatures from easily entering the lair through any- holder creates or positions certain traps so that they're
where but the main entrance. The beholder, of course, effective against flying intruders.
can disintegrate these barriers to gain access to the Practically any kind of trap could be a feature of a be-
tunnel. As with the tunnels between chambers, escape holder's lair. A few possibilities are described here.
tunnels are usually a steep climb or nearly vertical to Covered Pit. Simple yet effective, a covered pit trap is
make it difficult for non-flying creatures to follow. A tun- a hole covered with a false floor and perhaps concealed
nel bends every 50 to 100 feet to prevent attackers from by a sprinkling of dirt or gravel. The pit might be empty,
shooting at the beholder while it flees, but giving the be filled with mud (causing anything trapped in it to
monster opportunities to attack when its enemies come eventually drown), or have spikes at the bottom.
into view. Many escape tunnels have falling block traps Door Trap. In a seldom-used cavern with a high ceil-
or weak ceilings supported by a single pillar, which the ing, a beholder might erect a wall that doesn't reach the
beholder can disintegrate after it passes that point to ceiling and build a trapped door into it. The beholder
deter pursuit. can fly over the trap, while intruders are forced to deal
with the door or waste time trying to climb over the